NEWNAN, Ga. – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has started shipping the first Viking Side-by-Side vehicles from its U.S. manufacturing facility in Newnan, Georgia, and company executives recently held a special event there to celebrate the all-new vehicle and increased U.S. production.

Every Yamaha Viking distributed throughout the United States and around the world will come from Yamaha Motor Manufacturing Corporation of America (YMMC). To handle the increased production, the factory has opened a second plant that is dedicated to the Viking and future SxS models.

Worldwide excitement around this all-new model and increased production was apparent at the recent YMMC ribbon cutting ceremony where a number of Yamaha executives from the U.S. and Japan offered thanks and congratulations to Yamaha employees and expressed their high expectations for Yamaha’s expanding SxS line.

“Yamaha has approved new GRANTs to support organizations that span the country, from California to Vermont, serving the mission to promote safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas,” said Steve Nessl, Yamaha ATV and SxS marketing manager. “Yamaha’s reach through the OHV Access Initiative is national, but the heart of the program resides in the local communities that enjoy increased family fun and economic development through safe, responsible OHV access.”

CYPRESS, Calif. – April 30, 2013 – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., has received the 2013 National Trails Corporate Award from American Trails in recognition of its significant, sustained service to trails planning, implementation and recreation across the country. American Trails is the only national, nonprofit organization working on behalf of trail interests and supporting cooperation and communication between all types of trail users today.

The Yamaha OHV Access Initiative GRANT program recently celebrated its fifth anniversary in funding projects serving the diverse needs of the OHV community. To date, Yamaha has awarded more than 200 GRANTs and more than $2 million in funding and equipment in pursuit of the program’s mission of promoting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable access.

CYPRESS, Calif. – April 16, 2013 – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is running an “Assembled in USA” Rhino sweepstakes to raise funds and awareness for Honored American Veterans Afield and Feed the Children. Each $5 donation via online entry serves as a chance to win a new Tactical Black Special Edition Rhino 700 FI.

This is Yamaha’s second “Assembled in USA” Sweepstakes. This year’s contest was launched at the Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show), the largest outdoors industry trade show, and the sweepstakes will run through May 31 with Yamaha selling tickets onsite at the NRA Show in St. Louis May 3-5.

CYPRESS, Calif. – It’s not too late to register for the “Family Pack” sweepstakes prize Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., is giving away at the end of the 2013 Supercross season. Worth more than $18,000 and including some of its most popular products for motorsports enthusiasts, the contest is being promoted at all 2013 Supercross events.

The “Yamaha Supercross Sweepstakes” runs through May 2, 2013, and will award one lucky family a prize package including one of each of the following from Yamaha:

CYPRESS, Calif. – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., announces the fifth anniversary of its OHV Access Initiative, the industry leader in Guaranteeing Responsible Access to our Nation’s Trails (GRANTs). Launched in January, 2008, the program has aggressively funded the ever growing and diverse needs of the OHV community in support of its mission of promoting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable access to riding areas. A few of the highlights of the past five years include:

· 200 GRANTs and more than $2 million in funding and equipment in pursuit of the program’s mission.

· Yamaha employees have personally embraced the tenets of OHV Access Initiative, putting in more than 1,500 volunteer man-hours planting trees, clearing trails and supporting restoration efforts on company-adopted trails in the San Bernardino National Forest.

These organizations are helping to implement Yamaha’s mission of supporting safe, responsible riding and open, sustainable riding areas through a variety of projects on the ground level. Since its inception in 2008, the Yamaha OHV Access Initiative has funded nearly 200 such projects across the country.

To date, Yamaha has funded projects in 36 states in pursuit of its goal to support OHV access projects nationwide. This number continues to increase as Yamaha receives quality applications from around the country. New Hampshire received its first Yamaha GRANT this cycle with funding provided to the North Country ATV club based in North Stratford.

Our sister site ATV.com is building up and giving away a 2013 Yamaha Raptor 700. The Raptor 700 will be adorned with a host of parts and accessories from Yamaha’s GYTR catalog. As well, it will feature products from OMF Performance, Maxxis, and Pro Taper. To complete the package, the winner of ATV.com’s Yamaha Raptor 700 Project will also take home a complete set of Fly Racing gear.

Want to know exactly what you’re trying to win? ATV.com is documenting the project and giveaway in a series of articles.

The first article is already live and features all the goodies provided by GYTR, including an exhaust, nerf bars, footwells, front grab bar, glide plate, and graphics kit. You can read all about it here.

CYPRESS, Calif. – Yamaha Motor Corp., U.S.A., employees volunteered to help restore one of the San Bernardino National Forest’s most popular multi-use off-highway vehicle (OHV) staging areas this past weekend.

Eighty volunteers, comprised of Yamaha employees and their family and friends, along with members of the San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA), contributed approximately 240 hours of volunteer service to maintain and improve the Cactus Flats staging area.

The San Bernardino National Forest sees approximately 2.4 million visitors each year, and Cactus Flats is a popular spot for OHV enthusiasts providing access to some of the best trails in Southern California. Thousands of visitors, including OHV enthusiasts, hikers and mountain bikers among others, enjoy the staging area and surrounding trails each year.

CYPRESS, Calif. –The sixth season of “Yamaha’s Whitetail Dairies” will air on NBC Sports Outdoors, part of the NBC Sports Group, starting Wednesday, August 15, at 1:00 p.m. EDT. The show will feature all-new compelling stories capturing the thrill of chasing North America’s most sought after game animal — the whitetail deer. Yamaha Outdoors is the title sponsor of the show, which is produced by CarecoTV.

Through guest appearances, expert commentary, product features and valuable insight from the field all wrapped around hunting adventures, Whitetail Diaries brings viewers some of the best hunting stories from across the nation. The popular 22-week hunting series will air on NBC Sports Outdoors each Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. ET and each Saturday at 8:00 a.m. ET, and will also be available online at www.carecotv.com and at www.whitetaildiaries.com.